Three phases of summer in Tokyo

I have been in Tokyo for twenty-one years and now twenty-one summers. As anyone will attest, they are hot, humid and last from mid-July until mid-September under the best of conditions. Hokkaido doesn't have this type of weather in the summer but the rest of Japan does... and Kyoto can be even worse than Tokyo.

I have lived through two decades of summers here, I have come to recognize three phases of summer survival:

• When I arrived in the early 1990's it was common practice for businessmen to wear suits and ties year round. Most summer days it was almost unbearable and it took its toll on one's energy levels and stamina, not to mention shirt collars, ties and suits. It was common to arrive at business appointments 15-30 minutes early in order to sit in the building lobby and cool down.

• Over the years there were attempts to bring a more relaxed business attire style to the country in the summer but everyone was afraid to be on the leading edge of the movement. In the summer of 2005 The Japanese Ministry of the Environment began advocating the "Cool Biz campaign" as a means to help reduce electric consumption by limiting use of air conditioning. This idea was proposed by then-MOE minister Yuriko Koike under the Koizumi cabinet. At last it became acceptable to wear open collar shirts, short sleeves and even aloha shirts in business environments.

• In the summer of 2011, after the devastating earthquake and tsunami brought a halt to domestic energy supplies, it was dictated that there would be limited power throughout the summer. In the light of uncertainty, I decided to do whatever I could to comply and not complain. Lighter clothing, shorter work hours and so on. It turned out to be something I was able to make the best of and I found more enjoyment of a Tokyo summer. Just barely, though. We have nine months of wonderfully tolerable weather afterall.

Now temporally retired I find the summer less of a nuisance. More options and less to wear.